The Hooded Visorbearer is a Brazilian
endemic found in the "campos rupestres" or
montane scrub of a small area of Bahia. It is restricted
altitudinally to between 900 and 2,000 metres above sea level. It
feeds on nectar from cacti and flowering shrubs as well as on
insects.

The most significant feature
is its iridescent green "visor" which is only really
noticeable when the bird is looking straight at you. This is also
when you see the bright orange at the bottom of the throat
showing on top of a white half-collar. This gives rise to its
local Brazilian name of "gravatinho" or
"little necktie".

First described in 1838, it was rediscovered in 1928 by E.
Kaempfer but this only became public knowledge in 1959.
Classified as Near threatened by
Birdlife
International because it is restricted to a very small
area, it is actually quite common within that area.

The photo of the cactus shows
Micranthocereus purpureus growing on the top of the
Morro do Pai Ignacio. In an article in Ciências
Biológicas 3 (1/2): 131-132. 2003, Caio Machado et al
explain how the nest of Hooded Visorbearer is made entirely from
the cephalium hairs of this cactus.